How much of India's population is Muslim, by the latest census.
| Community | Latest value |
|---|---|
| Muslim | 14.2% |
| Hindu | 79.8% |
| Christian | 2.3% |
| Sikh | 1.7% |
| Buddhist | 0.7% |
| Jain | 0.4% |
| State / UT | Muslim |
|---|---|
| Mizoram | |
| Sikkim | |
| Punjab | |
| Arunachal Pradesh | |
| Chhattisgarh | |
| Odisha | |
| Himachal Pradesh | |
| Nagaland | |
| Dadra & Nagar Haveli | |
| Meghalaya | |
| Chandigarh | |
| Tamil Nadu | |
| Puducherry | |
| Madhya Pradesh | |
| Haryana | |
| Daman & Diu | |
| Goa | |
| Manipur | |
| Andaman & Nicobar Islands | |
| Tripura | |
| Rajasthan | |
| Andhra Pradesh | |
| Gujarat | |
| Maharashtra | |
| Telangana | |
| NCT of Delhi | |
| Karnataka | |
| Uttarakhand | |
| Jharkhand | |
| Bihar | |
| Uttar Pradesh | |
| Kerala | |
| West Bengal | |
| Assam | |
| Jammu & Kashmir | |
| Lakshadweep |
Computed Reproduce this view. This figure is computed from the linked published tables. Source: Census 2011 · C-series · Census 1961 · C-VII Religion · Census 1971 · Paper 2 of 1972 · Census 1981 · HH-15 (Paper 3 of 1984) · Census 1991 · C-9 Religion · Census 2001 · C-series. Each value is computed from the data file · transform code; every row records its own source and method.
The 100 most Muslim-populous districts (of 640) are home to 58.6% of all Indian Muslims; the top 10 alone hold 14.0%.
| # | District (ST) | Muslims | % of district |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Murshidabad (WB) | 4.71M | 66.3% |
| 2 | South Twenty Four Parganas (WB) | 2.90M | 35.6% |
| 3 | Malappuram (KL) | 2.89M | 70.2% |
| 4 | North Twenty Four Parganas (WB) | 2.58M | 25.8% |
| 5 | Moradabad (UP) | 2.25M | 47.1% |
| 6 | Maldah (WB) | 2.05M | 51.3% |
| 7 | Mumbai Suburban (MH) | 1.80M | 19.2% |
| 8 | Hyderabad (AP) | 1.71M | 43.5% |
| 9 | Muzaffarnagar (UP) | 1.71M | 41.3% |
| 10 | Barddhaman (WB) | 1.60M | 20.7% |
| 11 | Bijnor (UP) | 1.59M | 43.0% |
| 12 | Nagaon (AS) | 1.56M | 55.4% |
| 13 | Dhubri (AS) | 1.55M | 79.7% |
| 14 | Bareilly (UP) | 1.54M | 34.5% |
| 15 | Uttar Dinajpur (WB) | 1.50M | 49.9% |
| 16 | Saharanpur (UP) | 1.45M | 42.0% |
| 17 | Nadia (WB) | 1.38M | 26.8% |
| 18 | Katihar (BR) | 1.37M | 44.5% |
| 19 | Thane (MH) | 1.36M | 12.3% |
| 20 | Birbhum (WB) | 1.30M | 37.1% |
| 21 | Haora (WB) | 1.27M | 26.2% |
| 22 | Purnia (BR) | 1.26M | 38.5% |
| 23 | Bangalore (KA) | 1.25M | 13.0% |
| 24 | Kozhikode (KL) | 1.21M | 39.2% |
| 25 | Araria (BR) | 1.21M | 43.0% |
| 26 | Barpeta (AS) | 1.20M | 70.7% |
| 27 | Ghaziabad (UP) | 1.19M | 25.4% |
| 28 | Meerut (UP) | 1.19M | 34.4% |
| 29 | Rampur (UP) | 1.18M | 50.6% |
| 30 | Srinagar (JK) | 1.18M | 95.2% |
| 31 | Bahraich (UP) | 1.17M | 33.5% |
| 32 | Kishanganj (BR) | 1.15M | 68.0% |
| 33 | Anantnag (JK) | 1.06M | 98.0% |
| 34 | Purba Champaran (BR) | 990k | 19.4% |
| 35 | Lucknow (UP) | 985k | 21.5% |
| 36 | Baramula (JK) | 959k | 95.2% |
| 37 | Kolkata (WB) | 926k | 20.6% |
| 38 | Sitapur (UP) | 894k | 19.9% |
| 39 | Ahmadabad (GJ) | 883k | 12.2% |
| 40 | Darbhanga (BR) | 881k | 22.4% |
| 41 | Hugli (WB) | 870k | 15.8% |
| 42 | Pashchim Champaran (BR) | 865k | 22.0% |
| 43 | Mewat (HR) | 863k | 79.2% |
| 44 | Kupwara (JK) | 823k | 94.6% |
| 45 | Madhubani (BR) | 819k | 18.3% |
| 46 | Palakkad (KL) | 813k | 28.9% |
| 47 | Kheri (UP) | 808k | 20.1% |
| 48 | Balrampur (UP) | 806k | 37.5% |
| 49 | Allahabad (UP) | 797k | 13.4% |
| 50 | Budaun (UP) | 791k | 21.5% |
| 51 | Aurangabad (MH) | 787k | 21.3% |
| 52 | Bulandshahr (UP) | 777k | 22.2% |
| 53 | Mumbai (MH) | 773k | 25.1% |
| 54 | Jyotiba Phule Nagar (UP) | 750k | 40.8% |
| 55 | Siddharthnagar (UP) | 748k | 29.2% |
| 56 | Muzaffarpur (BR) | 746k | 15.5% |
| 57 | Purba Medinipur (WB) | 743k | 14.6% |
| 58 | Kannur (KL) | 742k | 29.4% |
| 59 | Sitamarhi (BR) | 740k | 21.6% |
| 60 | Bara Banki (UP) | 737k | 22.6% |
| 61 | Badgam (JK) | 736k | 97.7% |
| 62 | Aligarh (UP) | 729k | 19.9% |
| 63 | Kanpur Nagar (UP) | 721k | 15.7% |
| 64 | Koch Bihar (WB) | 720k | 25.5% |
| 65 | Azamgarh (UP) | 719k | 15.6% |
| 66 | Nashik (MH) | 693k | 11.4% |
| 67 | Karimganj (AS) | 692k | 56.4% |
| 68 | Jaipur (RJ) | 687k | 10.4% |
| 69 | Gonda (UP) | 679k | 19.8% |
| 70 | Pune (MH) | 674k | 7.1% |
| 71 | Kurnool (AP) | 671k | 16.6% |
| 72 | Surat (GJ) | 661k | 10.9% |
| 73 | North East (DL) | 658k | 29.3% |
| 74 | Cachar (AS) | 655k | 37.7% |
| 75 | Sultanpur (UP) | 650k | 17.1% |
| 76 | Hardwar (UK) | 648k | 34.3% |
| 77 | Paschim Medinipur (WB) | 621k | 10.5% |
| 78 | Kushinagar (UP) | 620k | 17.4% |
| 79 | Rangareddy (AP) | 618k | 11.7% |
| 80 | Siwan (BR) | 608k | 18.3% |
| 81 | Kamrup (AS) | 602k | 39.7% |
| 82 | Darrang (AS) | 597k | 64.3% |
| 83 | Goalpara (AS) | 580k | 57.5% |
| 84 | Jalgaon (MH) | 560k | 13.3% |
| 85 | Guntur (AP) | 560k | 11.5% |
| 86 | Hardoi (UP) | 556k | 13.6% |
| 87 | Alwar (RJ) | 547k | 14.9% |
| 88 | Varanasi (UP) | 547k | 14.9% |
| 89 | Bhagalpur (BR) | 537k | 17.7% |
| 90 | Pulwama (JK) | 535k | 95.5% |
| 91 | Thrissur (KL) | 533k | 17.1% |
| 92 | Belgaum (KA) | 528k | 11.1% |
| 93 | Shahjahanpur (UP) | 528k | 17.6% |
| 94 | Bhopal (MP) | 525k | 22.2% |
| 95 | Ernakulam (KL) | 514k | 15.7% |
| 96 | Gulbarga (KA) | 513k | 20.0% |
| 97 | Giridih (JH) | 509k | 20.8% |
| 98 | Kollam (KL) | 508k | 19.3% |
| 99 | Morigaon (AS) | 503k | 52.6% |
| 100 | Dakshina Kannada (KA) | 502k | 24.0% |
| Community | Urban | Rural |
|---|---|---|
| Muslim | 18.2% | 12.4% |
| Jain | 0.9% | 0.1% |
| Buddhist | 1.0% | 0.6% |
| Sikh | 1.6% | 1.8% |
| Christian | 3.0% | 2.0% |
| Hindu | 74.8% | 82.1% |
Computed Reproduce this view. This figure is computed from the linked published tables. Source: Census 2011 · C-series · Census 1961 · C-VII Religion · Census 1971 · Paper 2 of 1972 · Census 1981 · HH-15 (Paper 3 of 1984) · Census 1991 · C-9 Religion · Census 2001 · C-series. Each value is computed from the data file · transform code; every row records its own source and method.
Each line is a community's own age profile, the share of its members in each 10-year band, so communities of very different sizes compare directly. Muslims have the youngest profile: 23.8% are under 10 against 19.3% of Hindus and 13.0% of Jains. Jains, Sikhs and Christians skew oldest.
| Age cohort | Muslim | Hindu | Christian | Sikh | Buddhist | Jain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-9 | 23.8% | 19.3% | 17.6% | 15.4% | 16.9% | 13.0% |
| 10-19 | 23.5% | 20.6% | 19.2% | 19.3% | 19.8% | 15.7% |
| 20-29 | 17.8% | 17.5% | 17.1% | 18.4% | 19.3% | 17.2% |
| 30-39 | 13.0% | 14.6% | 14.6% | 14.5% | 15.2% | 16.0% |
| 40-49 | 9.4% | 11.4% | 12.6% | 12.4% | 11.6% | 14.3% |
| 50-59 | 5.7% | 7.5% | 9.0% | 8.3% | 7.6% | 10.9% |
| 60-69 | 4.1% | 5.5% | 5.8% | 6.8% | 5.8% | 7.2% |
| 70-79 | 1.7% | 2.4% | 2.8% | 3.1% | 2.7% | 3.7% |
| 80+ | 0.7% | 1.0% | 1.2% | 1.6% | 0.9% | 1.5% |
Computed Reproduce this view. This figure is computed from the linked published tables. Source: Census 2011 · C-series. Each value is computed from the data file · transform code; every row records its own source and method.
Between 2001 and 2011 the Muslim population grew 24.6%, faster than Hindu (16.8%) and the all-India 17.7%. The gap reflects higher, now converging, fertility, not migration or conversion.
| Community | 2001 | 2011 | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muslim | 13,81,88,240 | 17,22,45,158 | 24.6% |
| Hindu | 82,75,78,868 | 96,62,57,353 | 16.8% |
| Christian | 2,40,80,016 | 2,78,19,588 | 15.5% |
| Sikh | 1,92,15,730 | 2,08,33,116 | 8.4% |
| Buddhist | 79,55,207 | 84,42,972 | 6.1% |
| Jain | 42,25,053 | 44,51,753 | 5.4% |
| All | 1,02,86,10,328 | 1,21,08,54,977 | 17.7% |
Computed Reproduce this view. This figure is computed from the linked published tables. Source: Census 2011 · C-series · Census 2001 · C-series. Each value is computed from the data file · transform code; every row records its own source and method.
Muslims were 14.2% of India's population at the 2011 Census, about one in seven Indians and roughly 17 crore people. That count is now well over a decade old: the Pew Research Center estimated the Muslim share had reached about 15% by 2020 ↗ Pew Research Center, 2021. It is still rising, but slowly, and not because growth is speeding up: Muslim fertility has fallen sharply, steadily narrowing the gap with other communities ↗ Pew Research Center, 2021.
The chart tracks the Muslim share of the population across the six censuses from 1961 to 2011, the last year with hard census data. The next count, Census 2027, is long delayed from the one due in 2021: its population-enumeration phase is set for early 2027, and it will be India's first digital and first caste-counted census since 1931, so a fresh official figure is still some way off ↗ Census 2027 announcement, PIB. The tabs open the detail: By state and By district show how unevenly Muslims are spread, Urban vs rural and By age show a younger, more urban profile, and Population growth shows how the decadal growth rate has fallen.
Population share is the denominator for everything else on this dashboard: it is what every gap on jobs, schooling or representation is measured against. A seventh of the country is large enough that how this group fares shapes India's own development.